Hello. Just wanted to ask if this is normal behaviour.
I changed my trusty 2008 MP to an early octo 2009 2 x 2.26 model to put inside more memory. I have 64GB now, and pretty happy except for the noise i get when cpu is encoding video or otherwise on load. See the picture. Is this normal or should i get some help? I thought Mac pro should be pretty quiet under cpu load because it's not a laptop. I never experienced that kind of fan speeds on my 2008 model. Any thoughts?

I'd say it's normal for the fans to max out while using all cores like that.

I have an app called Fan Control, using Snow Leopard (still), which has improved the way my fans run under load, but before using that, my fans would all go to maximum speed like that. I should also add that I've changed my CPU, and when I did, I feel I did a better job with the application of thermal paste than Apple did, and my temps dropped some afterward, too.

With Fan Control, the fans ramp up quicker, and never go as high as they did before, which I think is due to better management of fan speed vs. temps, even before swapping the CPU.

__________________Wait a second... So you're telling me anything that happens in the sky is legal, and there's a giant crime-blimp flying around this place? I don't know how I missed that.

Celsius temps throw me off, but at that load, my CPU would be about 50ºC, maybe 55ºC, so maybe it's not so odd? It's been a really long time since I've used Apple's standard fan control, and I recall them working much harder than they needed to, resulting in cooler temps but at the cost of tremendous noise. I also recall the ramp-up in fan speed seemed incredibly slow, as compared to how Fan Control spins them up immediately.

I have mine set now, such that they run at a very low speed until the temp goes over 40ºC, at which point they rapidly spool up. That way, it's very quiet under normal use, and my peak temps peak at just under 55ºC. Before, the temps peaked somewhere around 65ºC until the fans finally went full hurricane to bring them back down. It was more undulating. With Fan Control, it's smooth... goes up, levels off, then drops when finished, like a smooth hillside.

If PRAM and SMC reset help, that will be nice... I just don't expect it to change the behaviour.

__________________Wait a second... So you're telling me anything that happens in the sky is legal, and there's a giant crime-blimp flying around this place? I don't know how I missed that.

Wonderspark, could you elaborate more or maybe post a scrennshot of your fan control settings? I tried one once, but all i could influence was the intake/exhaust fans. And their speed seemed to be tied to the BOOST A/B fans.

What do you think of the memory temperatures? I currently use 8 GIG RDIMM memory modules, and was thinking that maybe i could keep the temperature lower (eg, computer more silent) if i changed to regular 8GB DDR3 NON-ECC memory. Do they heat up as much?

Wonderspark, could you elaborate more or maybe post a scrennshot of your fan control settings? I tried one once, but all i could influence was the intake/exhaust fans. And their speed seemed to be tied to the BOOST A/B fans.

What do you think of the memory temperatures? I currently use 8 GIG RDIMM memory modules, and was thinking that maybe i could keep the temperature lower (eg, computer more silent) if i changed to regular 8GB DDR3 NON-ECC memory. Do they heat up as much?

Thanks again.

That's it.
I think RAM temps look fine.

Attached Thumbnails

__________________Wait a second... So you're telling me anything that happens in the sky is legal, and there's a giant crime-blimp flying around this place? I don't know how I missed that.